Not Yet (Warriors 94, Pacers 102)

To be a championship-level team, you need more than a few hot minutes. You need quarter after quarter of consistently excellent basketball, game after game through the slog of the NBA’s 82-game season. The Warriors jumped out to a hot start on offense against the Indiana Pacers, but showed nowhere near the same intensity on defense. With little resistance from the Warriors, the Pacers gained momentum on their way to a 35-point first quarter (shooting 64% from the field). And while the Warriors’ defense continued to coast, the Pacers’ defense locked down. By the time Jackson turned to his still-anemic bench in the middle of the first quarter, the Warriors offense had completely derailed. The Pacers held the Warriors scoreless for the final 4:25 of the quarter. What had started so encouragingly ended with the thud of a 14-point deficit, echoing through a silenced Oracle Arena.

Against a lesser opponent, the Warriors’ increasingly inspired performance over the next three quarters would have been enough to overcome the deficit and secure a win. The Warriors’ defense tightened as the game wore on — 39%, 39% and 36% shooting for the Pacers over the final three quarters — but the Pacers aren’t the Toronto Raptors. Indiana is not about to hand over a double-digit lead just because the Warriors start hitting their threes. This should have been a game that the Warriors circled on their calendar — a chance to test themselves against the NBA’s best record, at home, on national television. Instead of looking inspired to start, they looked indifferent. It’s impossible to know what caused the Warriors’ first-quarter malaise — fatigue from the heavy minutes forced by a nonexistent bench, overconfidence from another round of adoring press, or simply a lack of recent exposure to a team as good as the Pacers — but there was no doubt after one quarter whether the Warriors were on the same level as Indiana.

The good news? Over the next three quarters, the Warriors showed that they might be close. Three changes helped the Warriors fight their way back into the game.

Mark Jackson called a time-out. After watching the Pacers start the third quarter on a 7-0 run, Jackson called a shockingly early time-out just 1:19 into the quarter. The Warriors’ starters came out of the break with more intensity and aggression. They surged back into the game on 7-0 and 11-3 runs, finally seeming to grasp the level of play needed to compete against the Pacers. Iguodala tightened up on George (who was unstoppable in the first half), denying him any points for the rest of the quarter. Bogut and Lee became more physical in the paint, matching the bruising play of the Pacers. Even Curry, after being run over by Lance Stephenson on a dead-ball, popped back up and got in Stephenson’s face. The Warriors’ finally looked like the aggressors. Here’s hoping Jackson remembers the importance of not just going with the flow, but of breaking it.

Curry warmed up. While the Warriors’ spark-plug kept misfiring in the first half, he triggered the team’s most combustable runs during his marathon run over the final 24 minutes. Curry closed the game shooting 6-12 (vs. 3-8 in the first half) and hit all of his threes in the second half [meaning all the threes he made were in the second half, not he did not miss in the second half]. As Curry found daylight, the rest of the Warriors’ ball-movement seemed to open up. During the second-half climb, Curry did a masterful job running the offense (5 assists, 0 turnovers) while calling his own number. A basketball purist part of me hates the pull-up three Curry took off Thompson’s fast-break pass in the game’s final minutes, but it’s hard to think of an available shot I would have liked more (certainly not a Klay-up attempt against multiple Pacer defenders).

Bogut came up big. When Roy Hibbert was out of the game to start the fourth quarter, Mark Jackson got away with his small line-up thanks to some beautifully frantic defense by Draymond Green (so good, I’ll forgive the season’s most wishful dunk attempt). But as soon as Hibbert returned and Jackson failed to match with Bogut, momentum immediately swung the other way. Jackson finally inserted Bogut after about 90 seconds of watching the Pacers’ big men have their way, and his presence immediately changed the game. The Warriors knocked 5 points off the Pacers’ lead and pulled within their closest margin since early in the first quarter. Then Bogut banged his knee and limped to the bench. The Pacers immediately tacked 4 more points onto the deficit. Bogut thankfully returned and hobbled around for the final 2 minutes and change, but the Warriors had missed their moment. Bogut’s second absence wasn’t Jackson’s fault, but it’s hard to imagine what made Hibbert-Lee or Hibbert-Green look like an attractive match-up on either end of the court earlier in the fourth quarter. After fighting so hard to regain momentum against the Pacers, it felt as if Jackson squandered it by failing to match Indiana’s bigs with bigs.

So how do the Warriors ultimately measure up against the team with the NBA’s best record? Much like you’d expect given their play over the first half of the season. When Curry is hot and the defense is locked-in (thanks usually to Bogut, Green and/or Iguodala), they can run with anyone. But they’re usually unable to sustain that highest level of play. Some of the inconsistency seems to come from coaching decisions — rotations, time-outs (or lack thereof), a fixation on some match-ups and blindness towards others. Some of the inconsistency is built into the roster’s DNA — an offense that depends on outside shooting to open up all other options, a weak bench that leaves the team’s best offensive option as its most worn-out one when crunch-time arrives, defensive holes that require extra effort to close against well-coached teams that pick at them. But there’s also something more intangible — an inability to gauge the necessary effort and intensity level from the opening tip — that continues to hold this team from greatness. As the Warriors learn from battles like this one against the NBA’s best teams, that final obstacle should be the easiest one to overcome. But they’re not there yet.

Adam Lauridsen

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While I understand your primary concern, allowing Steph to play off ball and benefit from someone else doing the distribution (and ideally drawing attention) would be huge.

I think if someone has the stats on threes for Steph the past couple of weeks where he has received a pass, and just spotted up, his percentage is light years ahead of the dribble search for his shot.

Tonight might provide such an opportunity, teams without a powerful dominant two guard in general could allow MJax to try this. It’s not going to happen with Joe Johnson at the other team’s two.

Believewhat

TH, Here is my thing, we can win this straight up without mismatches and all if Lee is playing. Jordan Crawford, going by his stat has been inefficient for over last month. I think Jordan Crawford should have limited role on this team based on what I read about him but like I said I know so little about him, I am on cautious side with him.

Believewhat

BTW, did any one see TNT’s all star show yesterday. Couple of things I thought funny

* Everyone was on how Kevin Love should not have been picked because he is on a non playoff team. No mention of Melo.
* Only one broadcaster picked Cousins as his pick for all star reserves and that is Shaq who happens to be minority owner of Kings.

dr_john

Jordan Crawford has slumped a bit, it’s true. But so has Steph Curry in shooting categories. So have a few others.

Crawford’s game has been described as ungainly, askew, akimbo—but he seems to have good vision down the court and is willing and able to deliver a quick pass.

Also, in this trio, or with Iguodala, it matters not a bit who is on the ball and who is “off”. I like the interchangability as long as the defense is not a liability.

Bryan Hsiao

Well, East is just bleak for talents and scorers. Therefore Melo got picked even though their team is 12 games below .500 and 6th worst W-L record in the WHOLE league.

Monta with this year’s stats can be an allstar in the East.
Cousins could not be an allstar because an allstar needs to represent the fans and league.

Camelot

Ric Bucher@RicBucher

1m

“Just caught up with DLee – L shoulder wasn’t feeling good at shootaround but after warming up just now he’s going to give it a go vs. Minn.”

Thurston Hunger

Agree somewhat, but late in the game, AI on the ball has mattered in my eyes. Maybe he’s hurt, maybe whatever…but he has not been a reliable ball-handler in those pressure moments so far.

Not talking about last second shots where he has excelled, talking about two minutes and less and being able to dribble the ball to use clock and/or abuse the opposition.

And even not late in the game, I disagree somewhat as well. Having Steph off the ball (if he’s on the court for 40 minutes) does matter. He’s not like Nash and willing to dribble to set up others, he clearly wants to get his shots up (and the W’s need him to do so) but with the ball in his hands, he’s getting double teamed even well beyond the arc.

If Jordan (or AI or anyone) can break down their defender and set up the chain reaction to move the ball and get Steph a look with his guy recovering, that would be huge for the W’s offense.

So for me, yeah I do think it matters who is off the ball. Respectfully Doc, the W’s have not shown a decent level of interchangeability in ball handling in my estimation.

Thurston Hunger

And what’s the word on Bogut? D. Lee vs Love is one thing, lining him up vs Pekovic, well better give David the ball early a lot and try to push Pekovic to the sidelines with fouls.

Believewhat

dr,

I have to trust you on Jordan Crawford as I have my own bias on him on talent and the role he should fill. Might find out very soon because our coach loves that, i.e. having Crawford setup Curry aka Jarrett jack last year.

Believewhat

There is one way to contain Love inside, have Bogut guard him inside as he did against Zach Randolph but switch or gamble on Love missing 3PT shots because we don’t want Bogut stretching his as outside.

Thurston Hunger

Pekovic is no slouch and will play alongside Love. Bogut, assuming he’s good to go, should have his hands full.

If the W’s are going to roll with the stretch 4 option, then Barnes *has* to be aggressive on offensive. On defense, in the paint and on the glass, Barnes will be hard-pressed to curtail his recent fouling woes…if Harrison is not going at Love, then Speights might be a better option. But we need the angry, battling inside heavy Speights, trying to take charges vs Love won’t happen.

Man an early W’s lead would be nice as Adelman then might go small himself…and try to pick up points on threes with Martin, Barea and Love at the center spot. That will likely take Bogut off the court.

Keep an eye on Brewer who can be streaky good vs Golden St.

Eric Eiserloh

He’s trying to claim victory before it’s so blatantly clear that he was wrong.

Management turned this team around quick, in fact quicker than expected given where it was when they bought in. Go back and look at the roster, cap situation, and record they bought (if you have a stomach), and in their second year (last year) they won more playoff games than any of Nellie’s Warrior teams over 11 years as coach.

Nellie never won a division with the Warriors, though he did field two 50 win teams (in 11 years) that both got bounced in the first round. Nellie did get to the second round 3 times via first round upsets before his teams literally got slaughtered, not because they didn’t have very good talent, but because they got killed inside and on the boards.

Nellie may have been the best coach we had during the Cohan years, but that’s nothing to write home about. In fact, his body of work was very average, here. Six winning seasons, 5 losing seasons, 5 playoff teams (more than half the teams make the playoffs every year), and an overall losing record.

Guest

no knick, Melo tearing up the lowly bobcats 50 + points..

Camelot

questionable..

Camelot

MT: “Warriors could end up with two All-Stars, but the third star matters most”